HCD Headlines 9-4-2025

Rachael
Sep 4, 2025
4 min read

I remember reading this and thinking what a perfect answer to the question regarding why your time is so expensive. It goes beyond materials and overhead. It speaks to the time (hours, days, years) that has gone into creating the masterpiece that is your expertise. Recognize the value of YOU!

Schedule for September

Please keep an eye out for assistants during the month of September with multiple people being out at different times. We're also SUPER excited to have Joselyn back on the 12th. Yay!

Safe Amalgam Removal

Here is the information from our discussion on amalgam removal in the practice. Since it's been a while since we reviewed this protocol as a team, we will add this to our team meeting agenda to address within the next few months. You can read the full post including the responses and the photos from their office by clicking on the photo.

Blood Thinners in Dentistry

I love to read through the RDH Magazine for the insights regarding care throughout the clinic, not just hygiene. With multiple patients on blood thinners, this article is a good reminder to be aware of our patients' health histories. How many of us recognize the prescribed medications on our patient's HH? Do we review these with the provider or just make sure the medicines are accurate with the patient? Let's remember to take a close look at each medication before we just move forward with what the treatment plan says for the day.

Read the full article HERE.

Signing Out of Dentrix

Whenever you step away from a computer, you must close Dentrix. If you leave it open, you leave your name attached to any changes that are made within Dentrix. For example, if you sign in at the back desk computer and walk away to do something in the back, anyone that comes up and moves an appointment or changes a note will have done so under YOUR name. This can lead to confusion and chaos when trying to find out why certain things were done. Please, please, PLEASE log off every time you walk away from your assigned station to prevent this from happening to you.

Quotes over the Phone

Here is the wording from our discussion today. Let's plan on role play with a few hard topics at our next meeting. Think of some hard questions patients have posed to you over the next few weeks, and we'll resolve them as a team.

From Dental Nachos on Facebook:

In my opinion, when we give prices over the phone without knowing what’s actually going on in the patient’s mouth, I think we unintentionally reinforce the idea that dentistry is just a product you can price shop, like tires for your car. But dentistry isn’t one size fits all. Every patient’s situation is different, and every treatment plan should be too. That’s why I personally believe we’re doing the patient a bigger service by helping them understand why we can’t give an exact number right away. We have a great opportunity to gently guide them through that, using redirecting questions that educate and build trust instead of just saying “we don’t give prices.” Here’s a simple example that’s worked well:

Patient: “How much is an implant?”

Front Desk: “That’s a great question. Let me ask a couple things to get a better idea of your situation. Do you know what your bone density is like?”

Patient: “I’m not sure.”

Front Desk: “No problem. What about the tooth, do you know if it’s impacted?”

Patient: “I don’t know that either.”

Front Desk: “Totally understandable. That’s why we do consultations. We want to look at everything and give you the best answer based on what’s actually going on. Would mornings or afternoons work better for you?”

Now, if someone really insists on a price, we can give them a wide range. No harm in that because they are forcing your hand. It’s not about avoiding the question—it’s about helping people understand that their care is personal, and we want to do it right.

CE for Hygienists

From the Alaska Dental Hygiene Association, there are free webinars to help you meet your CE needs from ACClean and Henry Schein. Log in today:

“Building Your Power for Professional Success”

💻 All webinars are on-demand, making it easy to fit CE into your schedule.

🆓 Use code: HSFREE at registration for FREE access

📆 Offer valid through: December 31, 2025

🔗 Register today at: www.henryscheindental.com/acclean

Mindfulness

Just a friendly reminder to take a few moments to yourself during the day or night. Stop, take account of what's going on around you, and just allow yourself to be still for maybe a minute or two. There are lots of apps and gurus to help you start a mindfulness journey. Here is the small exercise we did today. This is something you can easily do every day to help you get started being mindful.